5 Years Too Many

Last night, at a panel discussion, following a rally and a march in support for peace, marking the fifth anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq, we watched Iraq veterans give their testimony on IVAW.org. one man in particular, Hart Viges, spoke of a time when he faced the "necessity" of capturing two men who'd been found in possession of a small handgun.

"...And I looked at my sergeant and I said, 'Sergeant, these aren't the men we're looking for'... and he said, 'don't worry, they probably would've done something anyway.'"

normally they would only have taken in people found with AK-47s or RPGs (Rocket Propelled Grenades). but, similar to the Iraq war in its own style, this detainment was a "preemptive strike" of sorts.

Viges said that as he and the others rounded up the two men, one of their mothers was falling on him weeping...

"I can't speak Arabic, but I can speak Human. she was saying, 'Please why are you taking my sons? They have done nothing wrong.' And that made me feel very powerless... I was powerless to help her."


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when we look at each other's faces, and see that we are all human, we should become powerless to consume and to topple, our focus of power instead turned toward helping, rather than conquering and winning.

this blog will hopefully be about what it's like to speak human in all sorts of places, and every now and then i'll try to post videos of what exactly Humans look like, and what Speaking Human means.

.PAX.